Reptiles/bearded dragon toenail broke completly

Questionwhat should I do to help my 1 year old bearded dragon Leo. he somehow broke his toe nail completely off and it moves 360 degree circle around his paw and is just hanging not sure by what. it was bleeding but it stopped .

AnswerHi Dawn,

It is not that uncommon for captive reptiles to lose a nail for one reason or another. The bleeding is usually self limiting and infections are rare. The bit of tissue that is still connecting it will dry up in a few days and the nail should just drop off on its own.

You are probably more bothered by it then Leo is! He won't be affected by the loss at all.

Expertise

I can answer questions on the proper husbandry and diet of Iguanas, bearded dragons, geckoes, skinks, chameleons, tortoises, box turtles, treefrogs, non-venomous snakes and tarantulas. Also the breeding of some species of feeder insects.
I have no experience with venonmous snakes and only limited experience with aquatic turtles.

Experience

I have been keeping and breeding reptiles for over 30 years. In addition to my regular job in the medical field I also worked for several years in a pet store that specialized only in exotics. The job entailed both caring for and answering questions on innumerable species. It required constant, extensive research into a wide range of reptiles. I have been called to appear on televised national media (CBC, CTV and Life Channel) as well as CBC radio to discuss the proper care of reptiles and other exotics in captivity. I currently own one or more species of those listed under my expertise with the exception of chameleons. I owned chameleons for years but keep none currently. I keep over 20 snakes comprising 5 species, both Colubridae and Boidae. I bred corn snakes for several years. I have a particular interest in treefrogs and currently have 5 different species. I've raised redfoot tortoises for 10 years and have two iguanas, one for 12 years.